Principality of Peresopnytsia
In the XII-XIII centuries Peresopnytsiasa was the residence of the appanage and a fairly well-known city. Like other cities and principalities of medieval Russia, it passed many times from one prince to another, although these constantly feuding princes were close or distant relatives. Apparently, from 1147 to 1149, when Peresopnytsia was first mentioned in medieval Russian annals, the city was ruled by Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Turov and Pinsk, son of the Grand Prince of Kiev, Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. Perhaps before him Peresopnytsia was ruled by Prince Vladimir Andreevich, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, as this prince bequeathed all the lands along the river. His father, the Prince of Volhynia Andrei Vladimirovich, died in 1141. In 1149 in Peresopnytsia many Russian princes of northern and southern Russia gathered to try to peacefully settle another conflict that arose between them. This time, a peace agreement was reached. According to him, Prince of Peresopnytsia was Gleb Yuryevich, son of Yuri Dolgoruky. However, the peace did not last long, and in the same year Izyaslav Mstislavich, another grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, drove Gleb Yuryevich out of the Peresopnytsia, and Vladimir Volodarevich (Vladimirko), Prince of Halych, great-great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, also in the same year, gave Peresopnytsia to Prince Mstislav Yuryevich, son of Yuri Dolgoruky. In the same 1149 Yuri Dolgoruky, once again having captured Kiev, gave Peresopnytsia along with the towns of Turov and Pinsk to his son Andrei Yuryevich of Bogolyubovo, and the center of his lands was Peresopnytsia. Andrei Yuryevich, the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was to guard the border of the Kiev principality from the side of Volhynia. However, in the same year Izyaslav Mstislavich captured Peresopnytsia and annexed it to the Grand Principality of Kiev. In the 1150-1152 Peresopnytsia was ruled by Vladimir Andreevich (who, perhaps, ruled Peresopnytsia before 1147). After Izyaslav Mstislavich's death, in 1154, Yuri Dolgoruky captured Kiev again in 1155, and Mstislav Izyaslavich (Grand Prince of Kiev), Izyaslav Mstislavich's son, the great grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, took over Peresopnytsia. In the same year, Yuri Dolgoruky expelled Mstislav Izyaslavich from Peresopnytsia, after which he gave it to Yaroslav Vladimirovich Osmomysl of Halych, the son of Vladimir Volodarevich (Vladimirko), who was mentioned earlier. In 1157, Yuri Dolgoruky gave Peresopnytsia to Vladimir Andreevich again. In 1156 and in 1162, Vladimir Andreevich tried to beat Mstislav Izyaslavich from Peresopnytsia, who already ruled it in 1155. Vladimir Andreevich died in 1170, and in 1171 Mstislav Izyaslavich captured and ruined Peresopnytsia and gave it to Vladimir Mstislavich, Prince of Dorogobuzh, brother of Izyaslav Mstislavich and a cousin of Vladimir Andreevich. In 1171 Vladimir Mstislavich died. After his death Peresopnytsia passed to his nephew Yaroslav Izyaslavich, Prince of Lutsk. After Yaroslav Izyaslavich's death. in 1180, the Principality of Lutsk passed to his son Vsevolod Yaroslavich and was divided into two volosts - Dorogobuzh and Peresopnytsia. In the same year Peresopnytsia passed into the possession of Mstislav Nemoy, who was the son of Yaroslav Izyaslavich and great-grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. In 1207, Mstislav Nemoy tried to help the people of Halych, captured by the Hungarians, but his squad was too weak to fight the Hungarians, and he was forced to retreat back to Peresopnytsia. In 1208, Mstislav Nemoy and his team went to Zvenigorod, near the city of Lviv, to help his distant relative, Daniil Romanovich, Prince of Halych, descendant of Yaroslav the Wise. In 1209, some Galician boyars fled to Peresopnytsia from Halych, captured by Hungarians. In 1223 the Tatar-Mongolian troops, led by Genghis Khan, approached the ancient Russian princedoms from the east. Many Russian princes opposed them, among them Mstislav Nemoy. In the battle of the Kalka River Mstislav Nemoy, a man of extraordinary strength, fought alongside Daniil Romanovich of Halych. However, the troops of the Russian princes were defeated and fled. But the Tatar-Mongolian troops did not cross the Dnieper and returned back to its east. In 1225 Mstislav Nemoy died. Before his death, he asked Daniil Romanovich, to let his son Ivan to rule the Principality of Peresopnytsia. However, Ivan Mstislavich died in 1227, and the Principality of Peresopnytsia, together with the cities of Lutsk and Czartoryski, became part of the Principality of Halych-Volhynia. After that, in 1227, Peresopnytsia was transferred by Daniil Romanovich to his younger brother Vasilko Romanovich. In 1240, the ancient Tatar territories were again attacked by the Mongols, led by Batu. Peresopnytsia, like many other ancient Russian cities, was plundered and burnt. After the invasion of Batu Khan and the weakening of the Russian principalities, the Lithuanians began to devastate the Russian lands with impunity and in 1246 attacked Peresopnytsia, seized and destroyed it. However, the princes Daniil and Vasilko later drove them away. After 1246 there is no mention of Peresopnytsia in ancient Russian annals. This, most likely, happened because after numerous attacks and ruin Peresopnytsia finally fell into decay and therefore did not attract more attention to the chroniclers. After Daniil Romanovich's death in 1264, who in 1253 received the royal title from the Pope, the Principality of Halych-Volhynia was ruled by his descendants. Bibliography * Л. Войтович Княжеские династии восточной Европы * Древнерусские княжества X—XIII вв. М., 1975 г. * История Украинской ССР. Краткий очерк. т.1-3. Киев. 1982 г. * Советский энциклопедический словарь. М., 1983 г. * Соловьёв С. М. История России с древнейших времён т. 2, 3, 11. СПб, 1851—1879 гг. * Pryshchepa, B. Medieval Peresopnytsia in written and archaeological sources. Historical Volhynia portal See also Princes of Peresopnytsia Category:Principality of Peresopnytsia Category:Kievan Rus' Category:Former Slavic countries Category:Former principalities